


Daily Life of a Second-Class SOLDIER

by winterune



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Gen, One Shot Collection, Slice of Life, more tags will be added with more chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-21 23:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30029178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterune/pseuds/winterune
Summary: What does Kunsel do in his down time? Collecting information on Shinra personnel? Traversing Midgar and enjoying the city life? Or is it more shenanigans with his fellow SOLDIER and best friend?A glimpse into the daily life of one Second-Class SOLDIER, when he's not out there trying to keep his friend out of trouble.
Relationships: Zack Fair & Kunsel
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	Daily Life of a Second-Class SOLDIER

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to make a daily life Kunsel series and decided I should just do it. Just a collection of one-shots/drabbles about Kunsel and the people in his life. Hope you enjoy :)

Kunsel hated snow. This fluffy, white substance that was cold to the touch. At least, that was how the media always depicted it, and not as these frigid, hard, icy shards. The moment Kunsel stepped out of the warm inn in his thick woolen coat and thick woolen cap, the cold immediately stung his face. Not even the scarf he’d wrapped around his neck could do much about it.

Fighting against the urge to run back inside, Kunsel folded his arms as he struggled to keep the chill from seeping into every crack and slip of his clothes. He didn’t envy the grunt standing watch at the village’s northern entrance, but thought maybe he should let the guy have his break and warm himself at the inn. The grunt only looked too happy at the offer. He’d bolted indoors before Kunsel could say another word.

With a quiet chuckle, Kunsel took up his post, then pulled his coat tighter around himself, breathing into his gloved hands and rubbing them together. But what little heat the motion yielded was quickly stolen by the harsh northern wind. Frosty breath clouded before his palms. Kunsel's lips curled into a grim, scornful smile. The next shift was not until half an hour later. He'd brave the cold until then, then rushed back inside.

But the lone wait didn’t last long. A call came from up ahead—from the snow trail leading deep into the woods and the Glacier beyond. Zack waved his hand high, a huge ear-to-ear grin splitting his face. 

“Everything good here?” he asked upon reaching him. Zack waved away the grunts who had gone with him, telling them to rest and get something to eat. The inn had promised to provide them with a warm bed and a warm meal. The crackling fireplace teased his mind, and Kunsel wanted nothing more than to burrow himself in a pile of blankets inside his room.

“Everything good,” Kunsel replied, watching the grunts disappear around the corner. “Monsters culled. Villagers are safe.”

Zack nodded, then took his spot next to him. Kunsel gave him a sideway glance.

“You’re not joining them?”

“Nah, I’m good. Still trying to shake that last bit of adrenaline out of my system.” 

Indeed, his friend was swinging his arms and stretching his back, squatting even with his sword on his back. They had been deployed to Icicle Inn. Too far north for Kunsel’s taste, but there had been increasing monster activities in the area that apparently had warranted SOLDIER attention. Kunsel and a handful of men had stayed behind and kept the village safe while Zack and the rest of their team had gone to seek the den.

“We encountered hostiles, but no luck finding their nest,” his friend said, still doing squats in the cold. “Sun’s about to set, so I figured we should return for the night, or we’d freeze to death.” 

That last statement caught his attention. Kunsel quirked an eyebrow at him. 

“What?” Zack asked from his crouch.

“You noticed the cold.”

The incredulous stare Zack gave him would have made him snort had he meant his remark as a tease. But Kunsel had been genuinely amazed, because since the moment their truck reached the snowy landscape earlier that morning, Zack had never stopped looking at the white expanse in awe while Kunsel had stayed the farthest away from any doors or windows. 

“Of course I noticed the cold. What kind of question is that?”

The kind he’d ask someone doing ten full sets of squats in the cold like they were already back in their training room. Kunsel shifted his gaze back toward the Great Glacier.

“For someone who grew up in the middle of a jungle, you don’t look terribly averse to it.”

He felt the glance, saw Zack doing another squat, then another, before finally leaping onto his feet with a loud, all-encompassing sigh. 

“What, ‘cause you look so much worse for the wear?” 

He would have wrinkled his nose at the cheeky smirk, but even his nose was too numb.

Above them, thin wisps of cloud drifted across a dull, gray sky. The wind picked up, howling in the distance. Kunsel swallowed his sigh at the sight of those tiny flakes. One landed on his cap while the other on his cheek. Kunsel shivered at the touch and drew back into himself. 

He should cancel the next shift. No man should be allowed to stand watch in this weather. And after what he and his men did to their brethren, he doubted those monsters would attack the village again anytime soon. Zack would probably agree—

Beside him, Zack had lifted his face and held out his tongue, trying to catch the falling flakes in his mouth. Kunsel stared at a loss for words.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to catch snowflakes in my mouth.”

“I can see that.”

One landed on his tongue. Zack lapped his tongue over his mouth. “Like shaved ice," he said between laps, "but salty.”

_You think?_

Had the monsters struck Zack's head so hard that he'd lost his mind? Or was it his jungle blood that was making him act like a ten-year-old experiencing his first snow? Then again, maybe it _was_ Zack’s first snow. As someone who'd grown up in Midgar and rarely experienced snow himself, people wouldn’t find _him_ jumping with glee at the sight of it. 

Zack had his tongue out again, and Kunsel found himself doing the same—

_Stop!_

What the hell was he doing? Had the cold finally gotten to him and turned his brain to mush? He couldn’t believe he’d let this stupidity seep into h—

A soft icy flake landed on his tongue. Salty, like shaved ice. His brain froze. 

“I’m going back,” he muttered under his breath. His head pounded. Kunsel shivered, cursing himself for following Zack’s lead. “We’ll save the watch for tomorrow morning. Nothing’s gonna attack us in this blizzard.” 

Despite Zack's calls of protests, Kunsel turned around and ducked his head under the biting wind, keeping his coat, cap, and scarf from being whipped away. Zack wanted to play in the snow for a little while longer, but, as he'd said, Kunsel was already so much worse for the wear. He'd rather not spend even one more second out in this cold. So he trudged back toward the inn, where a warm fireplace and a warm meal awaited him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it :) Please leave kudos/comments if you find the fic to your liking! Thank you :D


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